Of all the WTF-branding strategies, the most bizarre is probably… Jeremy Renner, honestly. But this one is kind of strange too. Sarah Jessica Parker is putting her name on WINE. She is currently shilling for Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker Sauvignon Blanc. “Wine moms” are a thing and there’s really been a push for all things “wine o’clock” for women specifically. Some of it is organic – a growing interest in wine in America, increased production in domestic wines in America – and part of it really is a strategy at play to encourage moms to get their wine on. I associate it with Real Housewives. So maybe it isn’t such a bad look for SJP – she’s part of that demo too, kind of. Anyway, now we get interviews from SJP about how much she loves wine. From Entertainment Tonight & THR:
Producing the wine with a New Zealand company: “I had not ever pondered about producing a Sauvignon Blanc. I thought it was a complicated wine and I felt like people had very strong opinions about it, so I just used to stick to Chardonnay.”
How it came about: Meeting the two men behind Invivo Wines, Rob Cameron and Tim Lightbourne, changed Parker’s perception and got her excited about the white wine she previously found to be intimidating. “They taught me all about it, and we talked about what we wanted to achieve, how this Sauvignon Blanc wouldn’t feel rarefied and forbidden. We got to blend an unusual, yet surprisingly rogue, Sauvignon Blanc.And I’m mad for it. I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to say that when the first bottle arrived. But it’s delectable!”
Discovering that she loves wine: “I love a glass of wine at night, I love it. I never thought that would be something I would say. It took me a really long time to understand the benefits. I don’t know why. I think it was the three children hitting a certain age. I was like, ‘What are you doing? Why are you not with your body inside a fridge finding a glass of wine somewhere?'”
She acknowledges that Wine Life isn’t for everybody: “And it’s not for everybody. I will say there’s lots of ways to alleviate stress, and I want to be very thoughtful about parenting. It’s a wonder and it’s chaotic and challenging and surprising, and it is often exhausting, and this is not the only way.”
Her son is a few years away from going to college: “I can’t know, I can’t imagine what that feeling is to say goodbye to a child and hope you’ve left them with everything they need, here and here,” she says, pointing to her head and heart.
I’m glad she acknowledges that Wine Lyfe isn’t for everyone. When I drank, I could only do white wines or a rose, and even then, I usually ended up with a massive headache after one glass. As I get older, I’m starting to believe that I have a mild allergy to certain kinds of liquor and wine. Anyway, wine life and SJP wine. It’s a thing. Get on board. I find it slightly tacky, but whatever. I’m sure people will buy the wine if it’s good enough.
These photos of SJP are from her wine promotion – her dress is Michael Kors and that necklace looks like a dog chain!!
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
I love wine (red only) but I’m quite uncomfortable with the wine mom thing. Drinking alone to cope should not be trivialized.
Amen to that! It’s also not going to solve ANY problem. Better to look to other “coping” strategies.
On another note, I enjoy my glass of red every evening, just for the sheer pleasure of the taste. Occasionally, on a summer day, with a great salad, a cold chardonnay can be lovely.
That said, I would not try anything associated with this bitter woman.
I hope Kim Cattrall is having a nice life, doing projects that interest her. At least she’s not shilling wine and clinging to a 20-year-old look.
@Minx: Good Lord Almighty, I was going to write just that! Kim Catrall is more genuine, displays age-appropriate garments, doesn’t hatch mean girl plots intended to ostracize a more talented and naturally beautiful fellow actress and does not twit fatuous, hypocritical condolences to redeem herself in the public eye. To my mind, Sarah Jessica Parker is the embodiment of shallowness and vanity, God bless her shoes.
I equate Ms Parker more with bitter whines.
Nice played, and you have the win for today with “Bitter Whines”. I can see it now: try the new line from SJP’s Bitter Whines 🍷
Golf clap to you both! 👏🏻👏🏻 Perfect! lol. 😂😂
Hearty applause back atcha both…
Applause to all of us for helping the days get a little lighter with the comments.
You win the comments today! 👌
Along with the real housewives starting this trend, I’d also like to point out that Hoda and Kathi (and now Hoda and whoever) always drank wine during their 10 am show! I always thought that was crazy.
I very much enjoy my red wine but I don’t like the idea or the joke that it’s my “medicine” or whatever. I have no kids so I can’t be a wine mom but the whole thing is annoying to me.
Lol I still can’t believe they were drinking wine in the morning either. I could see mimosas or something like that, but wine?! Crazy.
Geez way to endorse incipient alcoholism!
Having one glass of wine a night is hardly incipient alcoholism…I know many people who do – my parents did and my dad lived to 90 and my mom to 92 and didn’t become alcoholics.
I was also uncomfortable with the way she described wine life, aka “why are you not with your body in a fridge right now?” It sounds more like encouraging women to “need” wine to decompress versus enjoying a glass of wine for it’s own sake. There is a culture of binge drinking in the U.S. and it’s statements like these that contribute to it (which SJP realized when she gave the quote so she backtracked by saying it’s not for everyone). Also who uses delectable in everyday conversation??!!!
I’m a red wine gal (esp reserva) – rose and white wine give me really bad reflux and headaches so I don’t drink it.
And am not sure an on board with the whole ‘wine moms’ thing and a glass a day (eps every day) is not a good thing.
Just another PR gimmick to continue to push that SATC narrative she’s created for herself.
ITA. I felt like it was another way to cling to SATC. Has she stopped acting? Pick another role Sarah
She’s about to reunite on stage with Matthew for Plaza Suite.
I’ve definitely noticed an increasing marketing at pushing the “wine mom” thing. I think it’s kind of sexist – like, wine is not self care. There’s nothing wrong with a mom stepping back and asking for help if she’s feeling over burdened. But instead of that, god forbid, moms should just rely on wine after their kids go to bed. And it’s supposed to be funny.
I dont have anything against wine or drinking, I just don’t like seeing it tied in with all of the domestic work women are expected to do for free because of their sex.
That being said, SJP seems to be trying to walk that fine line when she says it’s not the only way to relieve parenting stress, so kudos to her for that. I’d just like to see less of the “wine mom” thing in general.
As a french I am always puzzled when I see someone in a US movie/tv show drinking wine in the middle of the day/night. It doesn’t seems to me like a healthy relationship with alcool.
In France we mostly drink wine on lunch/dinner or before dinning (it’s called ‘apero’). Usually, we drink white wine with fish/poultry and red wine with Meat/cheese. Rosé is for apero.
In America it’s “Rose All Day” for some stressed out moms. They even put it on t-shirts. It’s very sexist and not a healthy message.
How is it sexist?
@Lena – I addressed that in my comment above, FYI.
Edit: My name is supposed to be set as Anna, not sure why it’s showing as Ann here…
In general, people in the US don’t drink before noon, and like you, it’s white for fish and chicken and red for red meat.
I would say having a drink every evening is actually very common where i’m from and the recent health campaigns have been trying to get people to move away from this. Doesn’t seem very responsible.
I’m surprised she got her lips done, I always thought she was one of the few who wanted to age naturally. Also whoever told her to line her entire eyes with dark eyeliner is not her friend lol, she’s been doing it for years and it makes her look harsh and ages her. She would look way more natural and fresher without it.
She purports to be a fashionista yet she always has bad makeup, and the very long center-parted hair isn’t flattering. It’s like she’s frozen as early Carrie Bradshaw. She’s hyper aware of clothes, shoes, accessories, keeping herself skinny—but hair and makeup are part of the whole look and she doesn’t do herself any favors.
Yeah if she gained even 10 lb she’d look better. You lose volume in the face as you age and staying uberthin makes it worse. Though I don’t like the look of fillers, very fake looking. She’s obviously done the opposite of Catherine Deneuve who is an ageless, classic beauty.
After a certain point it’s better to choose upper or lower for eyelining.
Catherine Deneauve is very pretty, but it came at the expense of her never making facial expressions, for years. I don’t think that’s a reasonable tradeoff.
Not smoking is a good idea, if you can manage it.
I miss her naturally curly hair.
This has always puzzled me: Doesn’t she see how bad that eye makeup is? Hasn’t anyone told her? It makes her eyes look really small.
Damn – you guys really dislike SJP!
I think she looks fabulous! I’m loving her hair and I always find her interviews thoughtful even if they’re about promoting stuff.
I’m sure celebs do these other ventures for financial gain only and not passion . I’m not saying everyone should only stick to do one thing. But when you’re worth millions of dollars yet still chasing more it’s just pure greed.
It doesn’t really take much, a couple interviews and appearances wearing fashionable clothes for six figures or a million. Hell, I’d do it too even if I was a millionaire.
I might just be lazy but if I made my nut….I would not sell myself like that. I can’t even feign interest for free maybe money would motivate me too 😂😂
I like SJP, we look a lot alike. With that said, I can’t be a wine mom because, I also, suffer from some kind of alcohol allergy where I wake up with a splitting headache and nausea after just one glass. I don’t understand how “wine mom” became a thing because I could drink like a damn fish before my kid was born. Now I’m like a prude church lady who shuns alcohol. My body changed a lot, did anyone else’s?
Mine did after menopause – wine causes hot flash/night sweat hell for me so had to give it up *SNIFF*. Now all I can have is the occasional vodka/soda/lime, that doesn’t seem to trigger the thermo-nuclear hot flashes.
During peri-menopause I had to stop drinking red because it started to mess with my sleep. I’d wake up sweating like crazy and then have way too much trouble getting back to sleep. I still miss red wine but it’s just not worth it anymore, not even for one small glass. 🙁
I’m pregnant so I haven’t had wine in forever, but at nighttime that sounds horrible. It would only keep me up having to go to the bathroom and give me a headache the next day. I like it here and there but it’s usually with some fancy food. On that note, I don’t really like Rose and can’t imagine day drinking at home and definitely not around my kids! I don’t know where the “wine mom” culture got started but it’s as bad as those crap “Mama Bear” tshirts and “Mom Life is the Best Life” junk on Instagram. I am a mom, I also work though because I like my work and I have to provide for my family! I guess people who can do it have 1) lots of extra money to spend on wine and 2)nannies who can watch their kids while they sleep it off
There’s something unsettling about “wine mom” culture and I bothered that I can’t properly articulate why. I’m not a huge wine drinker. Sometimes I have it with dinner, and I cook with it often, but I’m much more of a craft beer drinker.
Craft beer “culture” large-scale tends to revel in toxic masculinity and dude-bro patriarchy. I’m in the industry, and thankfully some of us are trying to kick that crap to the curb and embrace diversity. We’re actively working to make it women, LGBTQ, and POC friendly and employing people from all of these groups and holding promotions and giving to charities supporting diversity.
Wine mom culture seems to reek of white and economic privilege, I think. I’ve seen white women with “Rose All Day” type shirts openly disparage economically disadvantaged moms of color as “crackheads” and rail against “junkies” at methadone clinics and balk at safe injection sites.
Wine mom stuff makes it seem like women are unable to handle anything difficult without chemical assistance.
Also–wine is kind of expensive. I remember being a single mom and feeling kind of bad indulging on a daily can of Diet Coke. I had to work and drive a kid around and how can I do that if I’m drinking “mommy medicine” all day?
I don’t know, it just skeeves me out. I’m obviously not anti-drinking when done in moderation. There’s something so “live laugh love” about it which also makes me want to rip my hair out.
Gmonkey, thank you for your thoughtful observations. I co-sign your comments about the craft beer industry – although there are some concerted efforts toward change, as you noted – and about the inherent sexism and racism of the “wine mom” cultural phenomenon. I hope you continue to comment on these threads.
Wine mom culture reminds me of the 1950s with “mommy’s little helper,” barbiturates. The idea is that women are mentally weak because they’re “neurotic” and they need help with coping emotionally because they’re so “nervous” or “hysterical” all the time. They’re so fragile that they need help doing their “natural duty” of raising children and being good wives and housekeepers. When you take women out of society and larger, multi generational family homes, and instead have them live exclusively in a nuclear family home, where they’re expected to sleep with curlers in their hair all night, dress and do their makeup before their children and husband wake up in the morning, and spend the day cooking and cleaning while wearing pearls and high heels in their own home, and you give them no emotional support, and you make it taboo to talk about things like depression, anxiety, loneliness, or resentment at their lot in life, you get women who are unfulfilled, desperately lonely, emotionally suppressed, and who feel like there’s something very wrong with them because they’re struggling.
I think we’re heading into another 1950s type of time now. Women are more able to work and leave the house, but now we’re in the age of the super mom, where women have to do it all, often with less money and leisure time, and look very good while doing it. There is a huge emphasis on appearance and beauty, no one is supposed to age, even young people are having fillers and plastic surgery. We’re a bit more connected to the outside world, but in a very shallow way with social media and reality TV shows like Real Housewives. We still don’t have a lot of people we feel comfortable actually talking to. So many people have a therapist because they just can’t feel safe sharing their feelings and emotions with a friend or family member. And while we’ve made some political progress so things aren’t as Christian/conservative as they were in the 1950s, we seem to be entering a new era of conservative backlash with people trying to drag us back to some idealized version of the 1950s. I feel like we’ve made some social and legislative progress when it comes to racism and civil rights, LGBTQ rights and acceptance, being more accepting of other religions or atheists, and de-stigmatizing mental illness, but less overall progress when it comes to sexism and misogyny. It’s still perfectly acceptable to be sexist, to pay women less money for equal work, to try to legislate what women can do with their bodies, to belong to a religion that insists a man should be in complete and total charge of his wife (sometimes multiple wives) and daughters. We have a lot of mommy shaming, we still have people saying “is your husband okay with you going back to work/making more money than him/wearing that?” And whenever we try to make some progress, like with #MeToo, there’s a huge backlash.
Wine is the new barbiturates, the new “mommy medicine” and it’s masking the same symptoms that barbiturates did in the 50s without actually healing the underlying illness.
Are you serious? you are pulling our leg? Right!!
I also don’t believe that these wine moms drink just one glass a night. I’m not saying they’re downing a bottle, but if they’re going to the trouble I’m guessing it’s at least 2.
I actually believed wine mom culture was dying out! Once the cutesy paraphernalia hits the dollar stores…pretty tacky. I had never heard of the Rose All Day line, oof.
I think having a glass of wine with a nice dinner or at night during a wind-down activity like reading is fine, at least it’s not a big deal in Europe. I would agree, however, that it’s problematic to market it as a relaxation method (big difference between one glass and two or three) or as a “reward” for hard work. Not great for kids to observe their parents considering it as either. Drinking enough of anything to get a buzz going every day, or even every other day, is the sign of a problem.
I hate the wine mom thing. I like a nice glass of red wine but I don’t drink often at all. I just find the wine mom thing so…patronizing. also not a fan of modeling using alcohol to “get through” the day.
She really knows jack about wine. Chardonnay is a heap more complex than Sauvignon Blanc and can be produced a bunch of different ways by comparison. Sauvignon Blanc is almost always light and very dry, esp. from NZ. Her uninformed comments just show this is a money making gimmick not a passion.
@ Rae – Spot on.
I always wished I enjoyed the taste of wine. To have a nice glass when I go out to dinner or unwind on a friday night (no mom life over here) but I cannot get past the bitterness (for me) of most wines. My friends will always say no try this one is so sweet, or so dry, or not too sweet and explain what I “should” be tasting and I just end up babysitting the same glass all night. Eh, cant live the “wine life”
I don’t mean to sound judgmental but I don’t like the sound of this at all. Alcohol is a powerful drug and if used as a coping mechanism can become quite harmful. I really think Americans are stressed to a breaking point, but we need to find better ways — beyond abusing food, sex, drugs, as well — to cope. It’s a reason I think we are where we are politically too, people looking for quick easy fixes to deep problems. And not to get too dark, but there were similar trends during Hitler’s rise… It’s v sad…
I have two small children and have a glass of wine most afternoons. I’m not getting drunk–I’m well aware that I need to be able to drive in case of an emergency, for example–but it does take the edge off when I’m stressed and the kids are all wound up from the school day. I had a glass of wine most days before having kids, too, so it’s not really “new,” but I guess that makes me a wine mom. Bring on the pitchforks!
Everyone knows alcohol can be dangerous in excess, but having 1-2 drinks a day is not a path to alcoholism. (The alcoholics of my acquaintance tend to drink hard liquor mixed with juice or wine all day every day.) My stepmom was a “wine mom” avant la lettre–she used to drink wine from a box while she cooked dinner most evenings when I was a kid. I could tell when she was getting a mild buzz, but she always stopped at no more than two glasses and remains a functional, non-alcoholic adult.
I think wine makers just became aware of something that’s been going on for a long time and decided to make a marketing thing out of it. Everyone without kids on a high horse about “wine moms” can get back to me when they’re in the trenches of parenting kids.
There is a problem right there: still having to drive in an emergency. Possibly with your kids in the car? I think everyone should be aware that even though it might be legal to drive after having a glass of wine or beer (depending on how the laws are in your country), should you get into a difficult situation behind the wheel the alcohol might delay your reactions – if only by microseconds. But they could be deciding microseconds. I always think *if* something happens in a car accident and you hurt others, loved ones or yourself and you have had alcohol: Could you ever have a clear conscience again thinking the outcome might have been different had you not had that drink… Which is why I am strictly for “don’t drink and drive”.
Drinking in the afternoon and possibly having to hop in a car with my children would be one of the biggest no-goes for me. Because make no mistake, even just one glass has a negative effect, even if you might ‘feel’ it does not. Which is one of the traps of alcohol. Can’t you find something else to take the edge or stress off? Alcohol is a really bad idea for this.
If I had any doubts, I would obviously call an ambulance. I have severe anxiety problems for which I am receiving treatment (SSRI plus occasional and approved use of benzos), and I assure you that I am a safer driver after a glass of wine than after an effective dose of a benzo (which I reserve for emergencies so as not to become an addict)!
I mean, pretty much every response to this thread reads like it was written by a hysterical puritan. I’ve had kids so I never get to enjoy a glass of wine again in case of an emergency? I’m a white lady, so I need to give up wine because that will help POC how?
Please. What was the feminist movement for if I can’t make any choices for myself after becoming a mother? Talk about going back to the 50s.
This has nothing whatsoever to do with feminism or POC or being a puritan or hysterical, but I think you know that. Anyway, fine as long as you are aware it is best not to drive after drinking alcohol (or having had meds that influence your driving abilities).
People telling me what is and is not okay for me to do with my body as a mom and woman has everything to do with feminism. I’m like, I enjoy a glass of wine in the afternoon but am careful not to drink too much because, you know, I might have to take my kids to the ER if someone falls and need stitches or something, and you’re like ANY AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL AT ALL CHANGES YOUR REACTION TIMES AND COULD YOU EVER LIVE WITH YOURSELF, WON’T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!
I mean, women should be able to critique each other and all that, but your panic! over the one glass of wine due to the slight possibility of an injury feels more than a tad like an overreaction. If you have kids, you must be aware of the endless policing of what is and isn’t supposed to be okay for moms (breastfeeding, anyone?), and said policing is absolutely a feminist issue.
Anneliser I completely agree with you – if couple of glasses takes the edge off, relax, enjoy and take the edge off. The reason it’s legal to drive after no more than a couple of drinks is because authorities have deemed it to not be a hazard. This mom-judging hyperventilation has got to stop people!